Center Helps Keep Artists' Creativity Flourishing

November 17, 1985|By Katherine Long of The Sentinel Staff

KISSIMMEE — Jane Pitkin taught art for 30 years in Arlington, Va., elementary schools. On days when classes weren't in session, she and fellow art teachers would drive to Washington, D.C., to see the latest exhibits and shows.

When she retired and moved to Kissimmee, she left the world of prestigious museums and galleries behind.

''It's so much fun to be with people who look at a painting and make intelligent remarks about the way it's painted,'' she said. ''I have been starving for that. I love it here, but that part I do miss.''

Pitkin, 82, has found fellow artists at the Osceola Center for the Arts and by joining a chapter of December Rose, a national organization of senior citizens who are artists, poets and writers.

The arts center is one of the county's few organized outlets for artistic creativity, and Pitkin has been taking watercolor classes there since 1977. She said most of her classmates also are retired.

The pride she takes in her work is evident as she displays a handsome watercolor of a lantern and horse's halter, and an arrangement of sea shells. Experts say that keeping intellectually and creatively stimulated as the years advance is an important way for people to remain young at heart and in spirit.

And because of the lack of a transportation network to shuttle people to more culturally diverse Orange County, many say it is critical for Osceola County to become self-sufficient in providing cultural eventsfor senior citizens.

Younger people have no trouble driving to Orlando, where there are classes to take and a wide variety of activities to participate in. But for the elderly, traveling that distance -- especially at night -- is a roadblock that can keep them from enjoying the more diverse cultural offerings of a bigger community, said Christa Atwell, executive director of the Osceola Center for the Arts.

That is why it is important to maintain a healthy and active arts community in this county, Atwell said. But for some reason, Osceola residents seem apathetic about the center's offerings, she said.

''For example, when the North Carolina State Opera came this fall it was the first time in 50 years opera had been performed here,'' Atwell said. ''The audiences were very small. I was just appalled.''

Dick Smith, head of the Council on Aging, said activities are limited by the size of the community. But he praised the area for being more involved in educational and cultural activities than most counties this size, and he said a more diverse and growing culture is sure to be a spinoff of the county's meteoric growth.

Because Osceola County has a high percentage of people 75 and older, lack of public transportation remains a critical problem.

The Council on Aging spends much of its time driving people to the doctor's office and other critical appointments.

''Transporting people on a regular basis to classes is difficult,'' he said.